Nightwing
In the Cartoon Network television show, Young Justice, Dick Grayson is first shown as Robin , but then he's shown in his Nightwing identity in the Young Justice: Invasion episodes. In this production, Dick wears the blue suit, minus the fingerstripes, much like the suit he wears in "The New Batman Adventures." Nightwing is voiced by Jesse McCartney Teen Titans Go! Dick Grayson appears in Teen Titans go! as the leader of the team. Unlike the Teen Titans TV show that portrayed him as the calm serious leader, Dick is portrayed as power-hungry, a perfectionist, and a hot-head. He is often jealous of the other Titans powers because he has none. Dick is also shown to hear voices in his head and has feelings for Starfire. Origin Born to a family of acrobats, Dick Grayson began his life with an exciting childhood growing up in the circus. With his parents, John and Mary Grayson, his family forms "The Flying Graysons," famed trapeze artists and acrobats. These happy times soon take a turn for the worse, as the mafia begins targeting the circus. At eight years old, Dick witnesses mob boss Anthony Zucco threatens the circus owner, demanding insurance for the safety of his performers. The owner vehemently refuses the extortion and Dick goes along his way. Unfortunately, Zucco decides to use the headlining act, which happens to be The Flying Graysons, as an example. As the Graysons plummet to earth, hundreds of spectators watch in horror. Among them are billionaire Bruce Wayne (also known as Batman). Feeling empathy for the boy's loss, Bruce decides to take the boy in as his legal ward, as none of Dick's family wanted him. The major difference between Bruce and Dick is that while Bruce's swore vengeance on his parents’ grave, Dick Grayson swore justice, which helped him cope with the death better then Bruce had his own parents. After a short while, Dick realizes what his mentor is doing all these late nights, and eventually chooses the same life as well. Bruce decides that with the boy's extensive training in acrobatics and his sense of justice, he has just what’s needed to become the Batman's partner. After rigorous training from Bruce, Robin, the Boy Wonder, is christened. Character Evolution Robin Dick enjoys his first year as Robin describing it as an adventure; he battles villains such as Mad Hatter, Penguin, Joker, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, and Blockbuster. However, his so-called adventure quickly turns into a hellish nightmare when Two-Face kidnaps both the new District Attorney and Batman, suspending them both from a hangman’s noose in a double gallows death trap. Batman instructs Robin to prioritize saving the D.A. He follows his orders by throwing a batarang at the noose, freeing the D.A. and therefore saving his life. Unfortunately, Two-Face’s trap is a two-parter, and the false floor below the noose gives out before Robin can get to him. Robin jumps into the water after the D.A., but Two-Face pulls him out and beats him savagely while a restrained Batman watches in horror. Batman eventually frees himself and stops Two-Face, but not before Dick is permanently scarred. This frightens Batman so much that he temporarily suspends Dick, and the event continues to haunt Dick for many years afterwards. When Dick eventually returns to crime fighting, he is much stronger and smarter than before. He later studies law at Hudson University but drops out after one term due to his responsibilities as Robin. 'Teen Titans' After several years of fighting by Batman's side, Robin decides he’s ready to fight with others his own age. Dick joins forces with Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Speedy, forming the Teen Titans. Although Robin is one of the few members of the team without traditional superpowers, he emerges as the group’s natural leader due to his experience and intelligence. 'The End of the Dynamic Duo' Dick's new found independence and duties with the Titans leave him with less time for his former commitments in Gotham City. Dick feels that he rediscovers his self-worth among the Teen Titans Batman, however, is less than pleased. He informs Dick that if he no longer wants to be his partner, he’ll have to retire as Robin. Furious, hurt, and confused, eighteen year old Dick Grayson leaves Wayne Manor after this fallout. Helping him through this difficult time are his fellow Titans, including Starfire, a beautiful alien with whom Dick had fallen in love with. Dick ultimately decides to hand over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl. Nightwing Pre-Crisis In the original story, Dick realizes that he’s grown up and doesn't need Batman anymore to help him. He decides that in order to discover who he is and his place in the world, he must leave Batman’s side. Dick decides to drop his role as Robin and as the leader of the New Teen Titans. After retiring for a time from the hero business, he is attacked not as Robin but as Dick Grayson by Deathstroke the Terminator, who was hunting the Titans. Dick manages to escape and meets the ex-wife of Deathstroke ( Adeline Kane) and his son Joseph (Jericho). Dick takes the name of Nightwing, as well as a completely new costume. He chose the name to honor another hero by the same name after being told the story of the Kryptonian hero by Superman. After saving his teammates and defeating Terra and Deathstroke (thanks in great part to Jericho) Nightwing once again becomes the leader of the New Teen Titans. Post-Crisis Although the story of Dick as Robin wasn't greatly changed after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, his origin to become Nightwing was drastically changed. In the redone origin, Dick decides to leave the cave and his role as Robin after a mission against Two-Face goes terribly wrong and Batman almost dies. After that, Dick embarks on a journey to find himself, which leads him to Metropolis where he meets Superman. Asking for an outside opinion on what he should do next with his life, Superman relays the story of a hero from Krypton who had been cast out by his family only to become a great hero. This hero's name was Nightwing. After a short stint in Haley's circus to clear his head, Dick takes on the name Nightwing and begins establishing a reputation for himself in Gotham. Dick and Bruce do manage to mend things. When Batman's back is broken by Bane, Jean-Paul Valley, Azrael, is given the mantle of the Bat. He proved to be unstable due to his training and mental conditioning from The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas. Dick later confronts Bruce as to why he didn't ask him to become the next Batman. Bruce simply tells him that he didn't think Dick would want to do it as he was his own person now. Dick tells Bruce that while he didn't want to be Batman, he would have done anything he was asked. In a defining moment of Nightwing's history, Bruce admits that these sort of arguments are what occurs between "fathers and sons". Bruce later asks Dick to fill in for him briefly as he recovers from his back injury. Power and Abilities Master Martial Artist Although Nightwing, like Batman, doesn't have any real superpowers, he has peak athletic strength and endurance of a man who regularly engages in intensive physical exercise. Dick is an expert crime fighter with a range of impressive skill taught to him by Batman amongst other experts. Dick is a master martial artist mastering dozens of fighting styles, including Eskrima, Aikido, Savate, Muay Thai, Boxing, Capoeira,Kendo, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do, Bojutsu, Hapkido, Ninjitsu, Tai Chi, Jujitsu, Judo, Kenpo, Wing Chun, Krav Maga, and Kobubudo. Dick was trained for years by Batman and then had further training from Richard Dragon. Dick is considered one of the best hand to hand fighters on earth. He has made his own style of fighting to play to his strengths. Dick is also a master at stick fighting, often using escrima sticks. He uses these as offensive and defensive weapons; he also uses them for long range attacks by throwing them at his opponents. He has taken down Ra's al Ghul and stalemated against Cassandra Cain and Deathstroke. Peak Human Conditioning Dick is at peak human levels in strength and stamina but his most valuable asset is his incredible speed and agility, being extremely quick and versatile. Dick is a skilled acrobat from his childhood in the circus and is considered the best human acrobat in the DCU, only rivaled by Deadman. His acrobatic skills combined with his agility makes him very hard to hit in a fight, and he combines these skills with his fighting skills to perform moves that no other human on earth could perform. Only three people in the world can do a quadruple flip, being one of those three. He is more agile than Batman and possibly faster as well. With his strength, Dick has thrown a refrigerator and thrown people through concrete walls. He can go without sleep for 4 straight days and hold his breath for 7 minutes. Genius Level Intellect Dick is highly intelligent and a master detective. He is part of a small group ( Batman, Tim Drake, Oracle, and Alfred) who can use the Bat-computer to full effect. Dick has also had training in escapology, criminology, stealth, and disguise by Batman and others. He can also speak many different languages fluently, such as Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese. Dick is also extremely proficient in disarming explosives. Barbara stated that Dick was able to solve 4 cases from "America's Most Wanted" in one morning. He has been able to solve the Riddler's riddles before Batman many times, even as Robin. He once hacked alien technology using Tamaranien language. Indomitable Will Scarecrow said that Dick's willpower is second only to Batman. He was considered a candidate for Abin Sur's Green Lantern, which ended up going to Hal Jordan. He's resisted Scarecrow's fear toxin and at times resist mind control. Leadership He is a brilliant tactician and a strong leader. He has lead teams like the Teen Titans, the Justice League of America, and the Outsiders. Unlike Batman, he has exceptionally good people skills and may be one of the DC Universe's most effective leaders. Other Abilities Like Bruce, Dick is an expert escapologist, escaping a maze before the Flash. He is a master of disguise, stealth, and is a master marksmen. He built his own Nightcar and Tech Glider. Category:Protagonists